The Switch
by independentwriter-137
Summary: It was a simple arrangement when Rose set Marinette and Alya up on a blind date during the masquerade festival. Marinette was supposed to have a great time as Ladybug with the Bubbler. The problem? Sparks start flying between her and Alya's blind date, Chat Noir-not that Alya seems to mind since she's got her eye on the Bubbler. The solution? Switch, of course. AU.


_A/N. Oh no, not another Miraculous fic from me. I really need to learn to control myself, but it's so hard when these cuties are always being so, well, cute. It's my first AU where there are no miraculouses and when the plot bunny bites, you must listen to it. Probably going to be two-shot or a three-shot._

* * *

 _-THE SWITCH-_

* * *

Marinette had no idea why she agreed to this. She smoothed over a non-existent crease on her skirt and self-consciously adjusted her mask that does not need adjusting.

Her costume turned out exactly how she imagined it would and when it was on her mannequin, she had been ecstatic with the outcome. Seeing it now though made her doubt herself. It was a beautiful dress, no doubt—a deep scarlet fit and flare with black spots and a lace trim that went perfectly with the mask she had designed.

She was excited to put it on, but now that she had, she wanted nothing more than to run back into her room and lock the door.

"Relax, Mari," Alya said as she bumped Marinette's hip so she could stand in front of the mirror. "Rose wouldn't set us up on a blind date with guys she didn't think were any good."

She watched as Alya placed on her mask and decided to take a seat on her friend's bed instead. "But how do we know we got the right guys? They're wearing masks! It's a _masquerade_ festival! What if we end up with creepers? Or serial killers?" Marinette asked, trying to keep her panic at bay, but failing miserably. Her blue eyes widened. " _What if they're creepy serial killers?"_

A bubble of laughter burst from Alya's mouth and she shook her head with fond exasperation. "Girl, will you calm down? We've been given two very specific codenames, Chat Noir and The Bubbler. I doubt there's going to be a lot of people with that kind of name here."

"You're right," Marinette said. "I'm overthinking this, aren't I?"

"Just a bit," Alya smirked. "And by a bit, I mean a lot."

"I'm just nervous, okay? It's been a while since I've been on a date, much less a blind date."

"But this is such a low stakes date! That's the beauty of the masquerade! You're not clumsy Marinette tonight. You are going to be the strong and confident Ladybug and I will be the badass Lady Wi-Fi," Alya said.

 _Strong, confident,_ she repeated in her head. She lifted her chin up a bit higher and stood up to stand next to Alya by the mirror again. _Tonight I am Ladybug._ Alya noticed the change and grinned at her.

" _Exactly!_ " Alya said proudly. "Besides, if we don't like 'em, we shake hands and never see each other again. No chance of awkward future encounters or anything because we don't know who they are under the mask."

Marinette took one last look at their reflections and took a deep breath. "Okay, Lady Wi-Fi, lead the way."

* * *

When they finally arrived at their agreed meeting place, it wasn't hard to spot a boy with cat ears and another boy with bright blue face paint. They were in deep conversation with the boy Marinette assumed was Chat Noir talking animatedly while the Bubbler seemed exasperated at whatever his friend was saying.

 _I am Ladybug,_ she reminded herself with a spring in her step.

Then the brightest green eyes she's ever seen in her life met hers and she almost faltered when she felt the breath knocked out of her. _Damn_ , she thought, _Rose knows how to pick them._ She was going to do this. She was going to stride over to them with Alya confidently and flash the most charming smile she had and damnit she wasn't going to be shy tonight.

But of course someone had to choose that exact moment to bump into her.

She lost her balance and instead of the cool and collected entrance she had envisioned, she crashed into their lives. Literally.

Closing her eyes and barely restraining a squeal, she prepared herself for the hard concrete ground, but was pleasantly surprised by a pair of warm arms catching her.

"Nice of you to drop in," a voice said.

Marinette felt goosebumps from his touch, but she managed to keep a blush at bay and straightened herself up. "Hm, quite the charmer, aren't you?" she replied, quite pleased with her answer.

The cat boy grinned at her. "You must be Ladybug."

"Chat Noir, I presume."

" _Paw_ stiviely delighted to meet you, M'Lady," he said and Marinette felt the corner of her lip quirk up in response.

"Hey, Ladybug. I'm the Bubbler," the boy in the blue face paint said with a friendly smile.

 _Oh right, the Bubbler,_ Marinette thought. _Rose set me up with the Bubbler and Alya was set up with Chat Noir,_ she remembered with a twinge of disappointment as she took a step back from Chat Noir and his green eyes. She returned the Bubbler's smile with a charming one of her own. "Nice to meet you."

She glanced at Alya who had been uncharacteristically silent during the whole exchange. Her friend met her gaze with a raised eyebrow before turning her gaze to the two boys. "Lady Wi-Fi, at your service," she announced.

"Shall we?" the Bubbler asked Marinette and gestured to the festival games.

"We shall," she agreed.

"Yes, finally! All the games I _noir_ board games. I've been wanting to try out these booths for ages!" Chat Noir exclaimed. "Get it? I _noir?_ Like _know are?"_

The Bubbler sighed and shrugged apologetically at Alya. "He puns. A lot."

"I think I can handle him," Alya snorted. "I'm Lady Wi-Fi, after all. I can always put him on pause."

Marinette laughed at that and took a look at the bright festival lights. She met Chat Noir's one more time and he flashed a smirk at her. She matched it with her own when she remembered she was supposed to be on a blind date with the Bubbler, not this alley cat.

It did nothing to quell the butterflies in her stomach and the image of green eyes and tousled blonde hair in her mind.

* * *

 _A/N. Can I just say it's hard to write this fic without accidentally slipping up and calling The Bubbler as Nino? I swear, I kept doing it as I was writing this because I'm sooo not used to calling him The Bubbler._

 _Anyway, happy new year to you all! Consider this my gift to you guys because what's a better way to start the new year than with a little bit of LadyNoir fluff?_

 _Let me know what you think through a review!_

 _-Indy_


End file.
